Sitz bath



Aug 9, 1930 Y s. sAULsoN r-:TAL 2,947,994

SITZ BATH Filed April l0, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS ATTORNEY Aug.9, 1960 s. sAuLsoN ETAL SITZ BATH 2 Sheets-TSheet 2 Filed April 10, 1959Z5 INVENTORS ,5d/MZ 'al ATTORNEY srrz B Arn Y Saul Saulson, Detroit,Mich., and Stanley H. Saulson, Baltimore, Md., assignors to Harlan M.Buck, Inc., Baltimore, Md., acorporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 10,1959, Ser. No. 805,553

11 Claims.. (Cl. '4h-6) This application relates to an improved devicefor :therapeutic care and treatment of 4the perineal, rectal or genitalareas o'f the human body.

The invention is more particularly concerned with a device for use inthe post-operative care and treatment of patients who have undergonesurgery, such as hemorrhoidectomy or other operative procedure on therectum, anus, or other perineal regions of the body, `as well as for usein non-surgical therapy `and hygienic care of these areas. Thetherapeutic care and treatment normally requires lbathing of the area inWarm water, which may or `may not be medicated, for relatively lengthyperiods several times each day, to minimizepain and promote healing.This post-operative treatment is usually required to be performed for anumber of days following surgery. In the case' of a hemorrhoidectomy,for example, the practice -is generally for the patient to utilize suchpost-operative treatment forfve to twenty days immediately after thesurgery.

In hospitals, this post-operative therapy is customarily performed inso-calledsitz baths installed as permanent fixtures, or by means of amobile sitz bath. The permanently installed sitz baths are not onlycostly in themselves, but also entail provision of a separate room toaccommodate the required number of them. The'mobile devices generallyconsist of a metal framework in the shape of a chair, on which istixedly or removably mounted a pan into which ywater may be poured andinto which the per-ineal regions ofthe body will extend when the patientis seated in the chair. ln the more desirable of these devices, they arefashioned also for mounting a heater assembly thereon, in ordertomaintain the Water in-the pan at a suitable temperature before thepatient is seated on the chair for the treatment.

Although the mobile sitz bath devices used in hospitals for thesepost-operative procedures adequately serve the therapeutic purposes ofthe treatment, they are expensive to the hospitals, not only in terms oftheir initial, relatively high cost (of the order of several hundreddollars each) but also in terms ofthe labor required for cleaning andsterilizing `the seat andthe pan, as well as of the space requirementstheyimpose uponithehospitals for storing them during periods when theyare not in actual use by a patient.

Patients who have undergone surgery ofthe type re-` day. This procedureis tr'oublesomeand objectionable to most patients, as 1it requires thepatient to undress and dress for each such period of treatment.Furthermore,

many people frequently sufer debilitating or other illd 2,947,994Patented Aug. 9, `1960 i effects from relativelylong periods of contactwith water at the elevated temperature used.

' For carrying on such treatment by the patient at home, there haveheretofore been proposed several forms of sitz baths,`consistingessentially of a pan or basin for holding a supply of water,and -arranged to be supported, by an outwardly extending llange thereon,upon the upper edge of the toilet bowl, or upon the top of the toiletseat, so that a considerable portion of the basin will extend down intothe toilet bowl.

Portable sitz baths of this type are shown in the patents to Oliver,Nos. 2,427,807 and 2,450,607. In the rst ofy these patents, the basin isprovided at its front and rear ends with spillways so that when thebasin is suspended from a toilet seat, liquid that might otherwise besplashedV over the sides of the basin is directed by way of thespillways into the toilet tbowl. In Patent No. 2,450,607, the basin isheld Within an annular ring formed to rest on the seat and having ladepending ange to provide an annular channel between the outer surfaceof the basin and the inner surface of the flange, for conveying theoverllow from the basin directly into the toilet bowl.

Another form of portable sitz bath adapted for use with a conventionaltoilet bowl by supporting the same from the upper edge of the toiletbowl or from the toilet seat, is disclosed inthe patient to Graber No.2,426,303.Y

In the device of the Graber patent, provision is made for maintainingthe water in the basin at a desired temperature,'fby aixing a waterjacket to the exterior of the basin so as to surround and enclose thelower end thereof and arranged to be supplied with hot or cold waterthrough a iexibletube connected to a faucet of a'conventional bathroomlavatory, the water jacket being arranged so as to permit excess watersupplied to the jacket to overliow directly into the toilet bowl. Accessof the outlet end of the flexible tube to the Water jacket is providedby openings formed in the flange by which the ybasin Vis supported onthe toilet bowl, these openings extending a short distance downwardlyfrom the flange into the basin at the front and rear thereof.` Theseopenings also provide for the overow of the liquid from the basin properdirectly into the toilet bowl.

While port-able sitz baths of the type shown in the above-mentionedpatents would obviously be less costly? than the mobile devicescurrently in'use -by hospitals, andf can be merely lifted from thetoilet bowl after each use and stored ina space of a` small area, theydo not meet other requirements essential to provide a practical form ofdevice for use either in hospitals or in homes, -for performing thetherapeutic procedures referred to above. Thus, among other things, itis essential that such devices have provision whereby the patient can,While in seated position on the device, conveniently control the supplyof -water to the basin, and its maintenance therein at a predeterminedfixed level and at a desired temperature during the soaking period. forenabling the patient, Iat the conclusion oi the soaking, and while stillin the seated position occupied during the soaking period, to drain theWater `from the bath, and thereby -avoid the annoyance of having Waterfrom the perineal regions trickling down along the thighs and legs whenthe patient arises from the sitting position. It is desirable also thatthe introduction of the water into the basin be arranged so as toVpromote rapid mixing of incoming water with that contained in the basinand so as to avoidlimpingement of the incoming stream upon the patientsbuttocks. Such an arrangement has the further advantageofprecluding thepossibility of water splashing and wetting the clothing of the patientWhilesitz bath for use in therapy and other care of the types Desirable,also, are means set forth, constructed to meet the above-mentionedrequirements and otherwise to avoid the shortcomings and disadvantagesof the stationary, mobile and portable sitz baths heretofore proposed.

F[Ehe invention also aims to provide a sitz bath of this character,which will lend itselfv to use either inhospitals or; homes and whichmay4 beY inexpensively fabricated from various materials suitableA forthe purpose.

According to our invention, there is 4provided a sitz bath having valvemeans located thereon within reach of the patients hand while occupyinga sittingposition with the perineal regions ,submerged in the bathand'which enables the patient selectively to supply water to the basinin regulated flow or to cause the flow of water from the SDU-ree.ofASupply to bediverted so as to` discharge directly into; the toiletbowl. rEhevalve..rrieansseves also, incertain embodimentsof; theinvention, as a means for drainingthecontentsl of the sitz bath directlyinto the toilet bowl, at the conclusion of the desired period ofimmersion and-:prior to arising from the sitting position occupied bythe patienty during the period ofr'soaking in the bath.

By4 providing the sitz batliV with means 'which enable the patient,while in the sitting position, to admit water at a controllable rate orto stop the flow of water to the bath, atfanyftime during the soakingperiod in which the perineal regions are immersed in the bath, thetemperature of the water in the bath may be adjusted by the patient asneeded during the soaking period. Also, by providing for the entry ofthe water'into the bath at a point. adjacent its bottom, the patient isenabled, by continuingthe flow of the water into the basin while seatedthereon, to gain the soothing and other beneficial effects of having4the perineal areas immersed in water that is in al state of motion, ascompared to a quiescent body of water.

' The' portable sitz bath of the invention may be connected by aflexible hose with a water faucet of a lavatory or other'bathromfixture. In order to comply with the sanitary' codes in effect in manycommunities with respect to theV connection of plumbing xtures to thewater supply system, aA suitable anti-Siphoning device may beinterposedibetween the faucet and the inlet of the valve means, to'insure' against back siphonage of water from the bath tothe watersupply system.

These andothe'r purposes of the invention, andthe numerous practicaladvantages thereof, will be more readily understoodffrom the detaileddescription given herebelow, andfrom the accompanying drawingsillustrating several embodiments andV modifications thereof.

Fig. fl" is "aiview, in perspective, of a portionof a conventionaltoilet bowl, having the sitz bath embodying the present inventiondisposed in operative position thereon, andf illustrating means forconnecting the same with a faucet of -a lavatory or otherbathroornxture;

Fig. 2 isa view in cross-section, partly broken away, taken along lineZ-Z-of Fig, l;

`Fig. 3A is a similar view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. l, and showingone formof device that may be utilized for controlling the lling anddraining of thesitz bath and for maintaining the water thereinat a ixedlevelduring the desired soakingcycle;

' Fig.`4 is a View taken valong line 4-`-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view taken along line 5 5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to that of Fig.V 3, but illustrating anotherembodiment ofthe invention;

' Fig. 7;i s a cross-section taken along line '7- 7,of,Fig. 6;

i s a` view .tak en alongA liner Sffo of Fig. 6;

Rigs. 9 and' l0 are fragmentary Iviews similar to Fig. 6, water-howcontrol means thereof in other Fig. 13 is a similar view taken alongline 13-13 of Fig. l2;

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary view, partly in elevation and partly incross-section, showing one form of anti-Siphoning device that may beemployed in conjunction with the invention; and

Fig. 15 is a view in cross-seetiom taken along line 15- 15 of Fig. 14..i

Referring now in more detail tothe drawings, numeral l0 designates aconventional toilet bowl having an upper. portion. 1l. with an inwardlyextending 12 'whicl 1 has its uppermost Surface' 13. dispgsrd. asubstantially herizontal plane, though rounded o i at the edgesthereof,as shown. The conventional seat for` the toilet bowl, usually hingedadjacent the rear end of` the toilet bowl, is not illustrated in thedrawing. The sitz bath of the invention is preferably designed to besupported in its operative position on the uppermost surface of thebowl, with the seat in Afully Vraised position away from the bowl.However, the sitz bath may-be congured vand di-mensioned-so as to beselectively supported either-on the seat oron the rimfof the bowl.

' In the embodimentl of the'invention illustrated in Figs. 1- to 5, thesitz bath proper-, indicated., generally by numeral 20, comprises abasin made ofstainless steel, aluminum, or otherfsuitable metal,l or ofmolded synthetic plasticresin oflsuitable type, porcelain or enamelware,or, incertain instances, of molded brousmaterial.

The basin is preferably ovalshape` in-itshori-zontal configuration,andis dimensioned so thatits sidewall 22will' t more orlesslooselyWithin the-.rim 12 ofl the toilet bowl.

The side wall 2 2 preferably extends-inwardly-ata slight angle toward-`t'he bottom 23. At its upper margin, the basinis formedwith ahorizont-a1 outwardly extending flange 2S, desirablyextending arounditsventire. perimeter, and terminating in a rounded edge 26: Thetransverse dimension offlangeV 25 fromthe upper endl-of" side wall 22 totheedge 26 vwill b e such as to'enable the basin to be supported by therim llffof` any ofthe several standard sized toiletbowls so as to retainthe basin in its operative position onthe rimof the toilet bowland yetpermitit to bereadily liftedV from operative position.

In order to provide for the admission ofwater into, the drainage ofwater from, andV maintenance of water at a fixed level for` thenecessary period of'time within, the basin, by means associateddirectlywith the basi n and in theeasy'reach of the user, the basin isY formedat its forward end with Ya relatively smallv open pocket or the like 27.The sides 30 ofthe pocketare integral-with the flange and extenddownwardly therefrom preferably at a slight inward anglealong theexterior ofthe frontwall ofithe basin. 'The pocket 27 may/extendadistance of`several inchesv on each side of the major axis of the basin,A guide slot or opening 32 extends throughthejange 2 5 andintoV thepocket, this openingbeing relatively, elongated in the directiontransverse to the major axis `to' the oval shaper of the basin, andVlocated symmetrically with respect thereto. Thus, guide slot 3'2 willbepositioned between the-.thighs'ofiapatient seated on the basin-with thelegsof the patient spread slightly apart. An opening or openings 33 areformed in the wall of the basirrat asuitable distance lbelow its top,and lserving asian overflow discharging directly into the toilet bowl tomaintain a uniform level of water in the basin.

Disposed forrotaryactuation within thepocket 27A is a valve plate 35mounted on a pivot 36 fixed to the front ofr the basin. The valve plateCt5-is-formedVV with an 'internal passageway 39, one end ofwhich'terminatesI at' the: upper edgeof=the plate,.whereitfis,thre,aded. or otherwise formed to receive. one end of avtting 40extending throughv andy movable. from side,v to side.'y in opening 32.Thel opposite-. end: Ofi` the passageway- 39,.,I terminates atthe-.innelzfaeofthe.plateadiacenti@ lower andi, Formed .in-.-thafrontthe. basteln anwrealnerrgrttlr of a size correspondingapproximately tothe cross-sectionaldimension of passageway 39. Port 41is located adjacent the bottom of the basin and with its axis displacedat an acute angle with respect to a vertical axis through-the pivot 36.Thus, whenthe valve plate 35 is in the full line position shown in Fig.4, water entering throughconnection 40 will by-pass the port 41 anddischarge into-the `toilet bowl through pocket 27.

When the valve plate is rocked on its pivot to the position indicated indotted-lines Aat the right of Fig. 4, the inner end of passageway 39`coincides or registers with the port 41, thereby enabling water owingthrough connection 40` to pass directly into thebasin. When the valveplate 35 is rocked on its pivot in the opposite direction from the fullline position to the other dotted line position shown in Fig. 4, thecontents of the basin will drain out through port 41 directly into thetoilet bowl, while at the same time water flowing through the valve willdischarge directly into the toilet bowl through pocket 27.

Water may be fed to the basin through the valve device described, bymeans of a exible hose 45, having one end attached to the outer end ofthe fitting 4t), and its opposite end connected to the faucet of alavatory or other conventional bathroom iixture.

The patient seated on the ange of the basin will thus have the Waterfeed control conveniently located between his or her thighs. By graspingthe `tting 40 between the lingers of the hand and rocking it sidewise inone direction or the other to rotate valve plate 35,`

the patient may readily and selectively control the initial filling ofthe basin, the continued introduction of water into the basin, or itsby-passing directly to the toilet bowl durng the soaking period, andalso its drainage therefrom at the conclusion of the soaking period.

Aswill be observed, the construction is such as to provide for theintroduction of the water into the basin` at a point adjacent itsbottom. This serves to promote the rapid mixing of incoming water withthe water already inthe basin, avoids direct impingement of a stream ofwater upon the buttocks of the patient, and enables the body of water inthe basin to be kept in a state of motion.` At the same time, it vavoidssplashing of any water over the top of the basin and onto the clothingof the patient.

In the embodiments of Figs. l to 5, the valve means 35 extends along thewall of the basin adjacent the front end thereof, in which case thefitting 4t) would be suitably modied for connection with andmanipulation of the valve means to control flow of water into and out ofthe basin through suitably located ports formed in its bottom.

In the embodiment of Figs. 6 to 10, the basin is formed way 52..entersthe basin through the opening 53. hWhen` a` desired level of `water inthe basin has been attained the valve may be rotated approximately 90degrees from the oposition shown in Fig. 6 to the position shown in Fig.10.` In that position, water flowing through the passageway 52 willdischarge directly into the toilet bowl. Atthe conclusion of the soakingperiod desired by the` patient, valve 51 may be rotated approximately180` degrecs from the position shown in Fig. l() to theposition shown inFig. 9. In the latter position of the valve, water owing throughpassageway 52 willl continue to discharge dir ectly into the toiletbowl, while at the same time, the contents of the basin are permitted todrain di# rectly into the toilet bowl through the `drainage opening 55`by way" of the space between the latter and the surface 57. p p

For manipulating the valve, a suitable handle portion- 59 may b e formedatthe upper end thereof. As will be understood, the upper end of thevalve may be suitably formed for connecting the same with a exible hose45 leading from a lavatory faucet.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 11 to 13, thebasin is formed at its front end With an external compartment 60extending from the ilange 25 down to the bottom of the basin, bottomwall 61 of the compartment being formed as an extension of the bottomwall 23 of the basin. The top wall 62 of the compart-v ment, comprisinga portion of the flange 25, is formed with a central, relativelyelongated opening 63 to receive for sliding or swinging movement asuitable tting 64 connected with the outlet end of a flexible hose.Extending upwardly from the bottom wall 61 of the compartment is apartition 65, disposed preferably in the plane of the major axis of thebasin to divide the compartment into sides A and B. `Spaced from oneside of the partition, at'a short distance below the top thereof,

' the wall ofthe basin constituting the inner wall"of the centrally ofits front end with a cylindrical boss 50 on its exterior. The boss 50accommodates an elongated valve member 51 extending from adjacentthebottom' of the basin and through a circular opening in the flange 25,to a point above the ilange, for rotatable movement on its longitudinalaxis. A longitudinal passageway 52 extends centrally through member 51,the inner or discharge end of the passageway coinciding with an opening53 extending through the side wall of the basin. As will be noted, theopening 53 is located at a short distance above the bottom of the basin.Below the opening 53, and immediately adjacent the bottom of the basin,another opening 55, preferably vertically elongated, and serving as adrainage opening, is formedin the side wall of the basin. Desirably, theb ottom wall of the basin is formedat the front end thereof with a lugor extension 56 serving. as a bottom rest to limit downward movement ofthe valve. The lower end of valve member Slis chamfered or bevelled, asindicated at 57,.this surface 57 being displaced about 90 degrees fromthe discharge endof passagewaySZ; In the position of the valve 51 shownin Fig. 6, water flowing through the passagecompartment is formed withan opening |66. Another opening67 is providedin this Wall of the basinimmediately adjacentthe bottom wall 23, and spaced a short distance fromthe opposite side of partition 65. An opening 68 is also formed in thebottom wall 61 of the compartment on the same side of the partition asthat on which opening 66 is formed. Thus, water flowing throughv thehose into side A of the compartment will flow through the opening 67into the basin proper to the level of the opening 66, excess wateroverflowing therethroughinto side B of the compartment to be dischargedthrough the drainage opening 68 into the toilet bowl. By sliding thefitting 64 along the length of the opening 63, or `by simply rocking ittherein from one side of the partition` to the other, the flow of watermay be diverted from one side of the partition to the other.

In this embodiment, as will be noted, the gap` between the outlet endofthe hose or fitting, and the highest level of water serves electivelyas an anti-siphoning means to prevent back-siphoning of water from thesitz bath to the water supply system, as is required by the sanitarycodes in many communities.

In lieu of the elongated opening 63 for enabling the discharge end ofthe hose or the iitting 64 to be slid or rocked for directing the waterto either side of the partition `65, a circular opening may be employedso as to hold the hose or litting a substantially iixed position. Inthat case, the water flow may be directed to one side of the compartmentor the other by means of a baffle or deflector plate in the compartment,and pivoted tothe outer wall of the ba'sin a suitable location adjacent`the upper end thereof.

Reference `has been hereinabove made to the sanitary `codes in manycommunities with regard to connecting plumbing fixtures toV the watersupply system. It is another advantage of the present invention that inembodiments thereof such as illustrated in Figs. l to 10, suitableanti-siphoning devices may be interposed between the

